Ivan Navarro : Narration Through Light

Ivan Navarro’s work strives to engage the viewers interaction and highlight the social and political implications that result in his compositions. Transforming conventional objects into light sculptures is the language Navarro uses to shine light on his fears. “I make spaces in a fictional way to deal with my own psychological anxiety,” Navarro says.

“One of Navarro’s earlier works, “You Sit, You Die,” is a lounge chair built from white fluorescent lights (shown above). ‘This is my version of the electric chair,’ the artist explains. Electricity was one of the tools of torture preferred by the Chilean government, but the piece also has local currency. On the paper seat, he has written the names of every individual executed in Florida by electric chair, to bear witness to the state’s record on capital punishment. Then he delivers an extra jolt — the joints are fastened with shoelaces, an item confiscated from prisoners to prevent them from hanging themselves.” [quoted from the New York Times Article, Shock Tactics ]